Because of the increasing popularity of golf, more golf courses are needed to meet the playing demands of the growing number of golfers. While at first glance the construction of additional golf courses seems a ready solution to accommodate the vast numbers of new golfers, the answer is not so easily reckoned. Standard golf courses require large amounts of land which is scarce and costly, particularly if the land is sought in a metropolitan area. Even if suitable land can be found, the high costs of constructing and maintaining a standard golf course, render the return on investment for a golf course very low.
In appreciation of the costly land requirements for the construction of standard golf courses, one response is to build golf courses on rural or farm lands further away from metropolitan areas. However, golf courses located great distances from metropolitan areas add unnecessary travel time to the time already required to play a round of golf. Golfers may well be reluctant or unable to devote such additional time to a game which already requires typically four hours to play on weekdays and up to six hours of playing time on weekends. Another attempt to meet the golfing demand and overcome the obstacle of costly and scarce land has been to design compact golf courses which simulate a round of standard golf.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,003,074 (Gage) discloses a golf playing field with the primary object of providing facilities for playing a game of golf within the limits of a relatively small tract of ground, but without materially detracting from the enjoyment of the game or eliminating the varied conditions of play that characterize the game as played on regulation courses.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,649,027 (Vallas) relates to a golf course that provides a means for playing a full 18 holes of golf without leaving a highly confined area and within the one confined area to always have a standardized condition. The course includes three different groups of targets, all of which are approximately the same size. The targets of the first group approximate a golf green and consist of grass. The targets of the second group resemble conventional golf greens but are areas of water surrounded by grass. The targets of the third group are entirely comprised of water.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,685,832 (Johnson) relates to a method of playing a golf game in an area much smaller than that devoted to a normal golf course. The game is characterized by the inclusion of teeing areas which are located intermediate between target greens and a chipping and putting area.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,512 (Tegart) is another example of a compact golf course which employs a number of tee positions facing a series of targets. Chipping greens and putting greens are also provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,063,738 (Michalson) is another example of a compact golf course which tries to simulate a conventional 9-hole course. The same may be said with respect to U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,300 (Magnuson).